Cleansing tissue dispenser



April 8, 1952 s. P. DREES CLEANSING TISSUE DISPENSER :52,5255:---ilis Filed OGb. 18, 1950 Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f i 2,592,255ff V y CLEANSING TISSUE DISPENSER Sophia P. Drees,rKan`sas City, Mo.

Application October 18, 1950, Serial No. 190,707 Z'Claims. (Cl. 312-61) This-invention relates to new and useful improvements in dispensers for pliable sheet material, such as the product known commercially as cleansing tissue.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide a dispensing container adapted for successively dispensing or permitting withdrawal of sheets of cleansing tissue from a stock of said sheets positioned within said container; to pro- Vide a container with means for facilitating such dispensing of said sheets and wherein a portion of the sheet will be maintained in an exposed and readily accessible position; to provide a dispensing arrangement whereby the exposed sheet will be eifectually held against slipping back into the container; to provide a container having a resilient insert adapted to support a stack of sheets against the cover plate of said container whereby to facilitate proper feeding of the sheets through'an opening in said cover plate; to provideumeans whereby said insert bears against a portion of said pad less tightly than the other portions whereby to facilitate easy initial withf. drawal ofthe sheets; and to provide a container having a waste compartment for receiving used sheets of tissue.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, ease and efficiency of operation, and adaptability for use in dispensing various types of sheet material.

With these objects in view, as wellas other objects which will appear in the course ofthe specification, reference will be had to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tissue dispenser embodying. the present invention, showing a tissue partially withdrawn therefrom.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plane view of the dispenser.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a reduced view similar to Fig. 3 showing only the resilient insert, and that in the raised position assumed when the dispenser is empty.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 applies to a substantially rectangular box or housing having side walls 4 and 6 and end walls 8 and I0 rigidly attached together. The upper edge portions of end walls 8 and I0 are rebent outwardly and downwardly to form lips I2. Side walls 4 and 6 extend above the end walls in like,

substantially semi-circular form. A cover plate I4 comprising a sheet of metal of substantially semi-cylindrical form fits over the top of the housing, and has an approximately diamond shaped dispensing opening I6 formed centrally therethrough. The edge portions I'I of said cover plate corresponding with lips I2 of the housing are folded inwardly, whereby the edges of said cover plate form ledges I8 which snap into engagement withA lips I2 whenever the cover plate is pressed down over the housing Said cover plate may be removed simply by pulling edge portions I1 thereof horizontally outwardly from the housing. Substantially centrally along each of the transverse edges thereof, cover plate I4 is provided with a downwardly turned ear 28, said ears respectively engaging the outer surfaces of side walls 4 and 6 of the housing to prevent transverse movement of said cover -plate relative to the housing.

Side walls 4 and 8, and end wall I0, are provided at their lower edgeswith inturned flanges 22, which serve as supports for a planar sliding bottom 24. Said bottom extends outwardly from end wall 8, and has its outer edge portion turned upwardly to form a tab 26 which may be grasped to slide bottom 24 open or closed. Side wall 4 has an opening 28 formedl therethrough, saidl opening being provided with a closure door 30 hingeably secured at its upper edge to side wall 4 by means of hinge 32. Said door swings freely. and is normally held closed by gravity.

Disposed within housing 2 is an. insert l34 comprising a rectangular sheet of resilient metal of a width substantially equal to the distance between side walls 4 and 6 but freely movabl therebetween, and having itsend edges bearing resiliently outwardly against end walls 8 and I0 at the lower edges thereof. The central portion of said insert is arcuate, and offset upwardly to rest in spaced relation from cover plate I4. Ad-f r wardly to form a resilientloop 36, said loops extending transversely entirely across the width of the insert. The space between insert 34 and bottom A24 formsv awaste compartment 38.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows. With cover plate I4 removed, a stack 40 of cleansing tissues is laid over the central portion of insert 34, and cover plate I4 is pressed downwardly until ledges I8 thereof snap into engagement with lips I2 of the housing, as previously described. This compresses the insert from the shape shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 3, partially closing loops 36 of the 3 insert andforcing the central arcuate portion of the insert to a smaller diameter. The top sheet 42 of tissue may then be grasped and withdrawn through opening I6 of the cover plate, as indicated in Figs. '1 and 4.

The upward resilient force of insert 34 on the stack 40 of tissues urges said stack firmly against the inner surface of the cover plate, thereby se curing the tissues against accidental displacement or disarrangement, and providing that the top tissue will always be properly held adjacent opening I6 for convenient removal. As successive tissues are removed for use, the insert is gradually moved upwardly by the resilient extension of loops 36, with the radius of the `central arcuate portion of the insert gradually increasing. It will be noted in Fig. Y3 that `insert 34 .and cover plate I4 are not concentric, insert 34 having a radius greater than it would have if it were concentric with the cover plate. This relationship is maintained as the tissues are removed and the insert rises, as indicated in Fig. 5. Thus the end portions of the arcuate portion of the insert are spaced closer to cover plate I4 than the central section of said arcuate portion. This provides that the end portions of the tissue stack 40 will be compressed to a greater degree and gripped more tightly than the central portion -of the stack. Thus the stack is held iirinly, and

yet the central portion thereof is held relatively lightly so that the initial withdrawal, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, may be made easily and without ,danger of tearing the tissue. When the tissue has been withdrawn to this extent, it is a simple matter to grasp it firmly to vrelease `the more tightly Vgripped end portions. This effect, i. e. the `relatively light gripping of the central portion of the tissue stack, is further increased by making 'the opening I8 widest at the transverse centerline oi the stack and tapering it toward both ends. Thus only a small proportion of the central stack area is under actual compression. Used-tissues may be placed in waste compartment through `door opening 28. Closure door is opened simply by passing thereagainst, and lswings shut automatically when released. Said waste compartment may be emptied periodically by sliding bottom 24 to its open position.

Another important function of insert 34 appears in connection with tissues wherein the successive sheets in a stack are interfolded. Removal of one sheet pulls one fold of the next sheet through the removal opening, whereby said next sheet-may be grasped conveniently when desired. Urging the stack resiliently against the cover plate prevents any possibility of the extended fold of the top sheet falling Vback into the container.

Thus it is apparent that a cleansing tissue dispenser having several advantages has been produced. The stack or pad of tissues is held rmly against accidental displacement or disarrangement at all times, while at the same time the topmost tissue is adapted to be removed easily and conveniently.

`While I have shown a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that minor changes of construction and operation could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A cleansing tissue dispenser comprising a rectangular box having a bottom, end walls, and side walls extending above said end walls, said upward extensions having arcuate upper edges, an arcuate cover plate carried removably by said box and having an opening formed centrally therein, said cover plate conforming to the contour of said side walls, and an insert comprising a sheet of resilient material having its ends conned between the end walls of said box and its central portion bowed upwardly in arcuate form in inwardly spaced relation from said cover plate, said .insert having transversely offset resilient 'loops formed therein adjacent each end thereof whereby the central portion thereof is urged upwardly toward said cover plate and whereby a stack-of tissues carried on said insert is urged against said cover plate in overlapping relation to said cover plate opening, the radius of curvature of said central insert portion being at all times greater than it would be if concentric with said cover plate.

2. A cleansing tissue dispenser comprising a rectangular box having a bottom, end walls, and side lwalls extending above said end walls, said upward extensions having arcuate upper edges, an 'arcuate cover plate carried removably by said box and having an opening formed centrally therein, said cover `plate conforming to the contour of `said side walls, and an insert comprising a sheet of -resi-lient material having its ends confined between the end walls of said box and its central portion bowed upwardly in arcuate -form in inwardly spaced relation from said cover plate. said insert Yhaving transversely offset 'resilient 'loops 'formed therein adjacent each end thereof whereby the central portion thereof is urged upwardly vtoward said cover plate and whereby a stack of tissue carried on said insert is urged against said cover plate in overlapping relation to said cover plate opening, the radius of curvature of said central insert portion .being at all times greater than it would be if concentric with said cover plate, said cover plate opening being widest in a line corresponding to the `transverse centerline of said lstack of tissues and taperingly decreased toward the ends of said stack.

SOPHIA P. DREES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,218,196 McCorkindale Mar. 6, 1917 1,375,520 Kingsley Apr. 19, 1921 1,878,399 Hope Sept. 20, 1932 2,007,042 Duckett July 2, 1935 2,101,307 Bodette Dec. 7, 1937 2,267,305 VNatwick et al. Dec. 23, 1941 

